No room for Kufr Fatwas: Shahbaz

LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Wednesday said the Punjab government was making all-out efforts to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) to counter terrorism in the province.
Addressing a press conference at 180-H Model Town, he termed terrorism the biggest enemy of the nation while describing its elimination as a must for peace and development in Pakistan. Shahbaz said different ordinances had been introduced to control wall-chalking, hate speech, misuse of loudspeakers and registration of madrasas, adding that those found guilty would fined and imprisoned.
He said those placed on the Fourth Schedule were being actively monitored, while the prosecution process had been expedited and the anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) empowered to hold the guilty accountable.
Dispelling the impression of lack of political will, the chief minister said the terrorists and their facilitators would not be treated with leniency without any compromise.
He censured the media outlets over giving platform to hate speech proponents and said the practice of calling a sect or person ‘infidel’ should come to an end. The fatwas about kufr and killings in the name of Islam would not be allowed, he added.
Shahbaz urged media to play a responsible role in the war against terror and present programmes which could help eliminate religious hatred and extremism.
He also promised to make changes in the syllabus of madrasas, schools and universities to encourage interfaith harmony and tolerance. It had been decided to deport the foreign students studying at seminaries, whose visa had expired, he added.
The chief minister said the Afghan refugees residing in Punjab would be sent back to their country for which a survey was being conducted.He acknowledged the problems posed by terrorism to foreign investment in Pakistan and said even one tragic incident could close the doors to investors and businesses.
After consultation with the provincial apex committee, 43 terrorism cases had been forwarded to the federal government for sending them to the military courts, out of which ten were been finalised, he said.
The chief minister said Punjab had played a leading role in undertaking measures for executing the NAP that included the establishment of Counter Terrorism Force (CTF) and the changes in laws to fight hate speech, abuse of loudspeakers, and facilitators of terrorists. The Punjab government had also requested the federal government to bring changes in laws to counter terrorism in an effective manner, he added.
He informed the press that the apex committee was meeting weekly, while the military courts had been set up in the province.Shahbaz said the 1,500-member CTF would become fully operational in July, while a rapid response force was also being formed with the help Pakistan Army.He also talked about the state-of-the art forensic labs, 1,000 biometric machines and modern scanners that are to be used for identifying the suspects and scanning the vehicles.
Shahbaz said the Safe City Project in from Lahore would completed by December an later expanded to five big cities of Punjab, adding that digital mapping of all the seminaries was being carried out.
He also talked about the measures taken to strengthen the intelligence network and said the Punjab government was meeting all the expenses being incurred on the eliminating terrorism under the guidance of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
During the press conference, the chief minister also faced a series of questions on the continued presence of banned outfits, networking of imprisoned terrorists with outsiders, the halt in execution of terrorists in recent weeks and foreign funding of madrasas.
In response to a question on the Qilla Gujjar Singh blast and the alleged involvement of insiders, he said all security institutions were being scrutinised and serious action would taken against the traitors. He said the government was aware of the fact that the proscribed outfits had changed their names and the individuals modified the appearance.
The Chief Minister, however, failed to address the issue of foreign funding to madrasas and the district vigilance committees comprising only the PML-N MPAs.He also failed to answer questions on the activities of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed. Shahbaz said terrorism should not be only linked to madrasas and must be viewed as a ‘mindset’ instead.
Taking notice of overcharging by private schools due to new security arrangements, the CM promised strict action.When confronted with the misuse of the Loudspeaker Act and illegal detention of innocent people, Shahbaz remarked that teething problems were common at the onset of all initiatives, including NAP.
On the apparent halt in executions, Shahbaz dismissed the claims and said the prime minister had ignored the pressure exerted by the EU as the situation in European countries was different from Pakistan.
Earlier, the chief minister chaired the cabinet committee meeting to review law and order situation in Punjab. Minister for Law Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, Minister for Home Affairs Col (r) Shuja Khanzada, Minister for Religious Affairs Atta Maneka, Spokesman Punjab Government Zaeem Qadri, former law minister Rana Sanaullah, IGP, home secretary and other officials were present on the occasion.